Djokovic

[makaveli1875]

Not his biggest fan personally but love him or hate him he is now the most successful tennis player in history with a record 23 grand slam titles and a record 3 career grand slams. The numbers are outrageous for this guy

[Sylar]

I can't decide if he's a genius or a drugs cheat. Some of the stuff he pulls off is utterly superhuman.

I hope it's the former, even though I really dislike the guy.

[ekhibee]

I'm probably a bit biased as my wife is half Bosnian, but even though it's a fantastic achievement I dont like him or have any respect for him. I just wish Nadal hadn't been so injury prone. That's purely my opinion though.

[HibbyAndy]

I can't decide if he's a genius or a drugs cheat. Some of the stuff he pulls off is utterly superhuman.

I hope it's the former, even though I really dislike the guy.


I keep hearing this chat towards ND , Not picking on your post but if he was seriously drug using don't you think the authorities would know ?


For me ( and the stats back it up ) He is the greatest tennis player of all time , Not the most popular in many peoples eyes , Nadal Federer were/are very well liked but they are behind ND

The GOAT

[JohnM1875]

Total gimp of a man.

I want him to lose every time he plays, which obviously means I'm disappointed 95% of the time cause he a winning machine.

Unbelievable achievement though, still convinced he has been a drug cheat at some point in his career.

[davy67 +]

He's the last man still standing out of Andy , Roger & Rafa . You have to admire his talent and ability , personally I can't stand him , I dislike his on court antics

[McD]

Total gimp of a man.

I want him to lose every time he plays, which obviously means I'm disappointed 95% of the time cause he a winning machine.

Unbelievable achievement though, still convinced he has been a drug cheat at some point in his career.


yep, I’m with you. Convinced he’s a drugs cheat, and i don’t think it’s a coincidence that his performances appeared to drop around the time sharapova got caught in a drugs scandal.

I also think he’s a cheat on court, always finds an injury when his opponent is having some momentum, drags out the maximum break he can before asking for the doctor, and needing a toilet break.

and that’s before his covid carry on. He’s a prick.

[McSwanky]

I can't decide if he's a genius or a drugs cheat. Some of the stuff he pulls off is utterly superhuman.

I hope it's the former, even though I really dislike the guy.My take is that he's probably both.

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

[Hibbyradge]

That was amazing. 🇨🇦

[JohnM1875]

My take is that he's probably both.

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

Aye, actually agree.

Think he's definitely been a drug cheat at some point. But no kind of drug lets you pull off some of the shots he's able to make. Ridiculous at times. His serve gets nowhere near the credit it deserves either.

Trust Murray to have played in the Federer, Nadal and Djokovic era. Scottish luck down to a tee

[JeMeSouviens]

I keep hearing this chat towards ND , Not picking on your post but if he was seriously drug using don't you think the authorities would know ?


For me ( and the stats back it up ) He is the greatest tennis player of all time , Not the most popular in many peoples eyes , Nadal Federer were/are very well liked but they are behind ND

The GOAT

In a word, no. Armstrong was only caught after his career was effectively over and even then only because Floyd Landis made a dick of himself and started the chain reaction that brought LA down. Pro cycling being an individual sport built around teams meant that Armstrong had to have his team on drugs as well as himself to get the benefits of cheating. If Djokovic is using drugs he's only got himself to worry about.

[007]

'Mon Medvedevedvev!!

[JohnM1875]

'Mon Medvedevedvev!!

Both total throbbers. Can only see a Djokovic win here though

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Cycling is a non-sport for me because despite the Armstrong scandal (clue was in is autobiography - “It’s Not about the Bike” - helllo!!! Tainted beyond belief and yet still folks are cheating post his shenanigans.

On to tennis. It could go the same way if Novak is found to have gained unfair advantage.

bleep the cheats

[Itsnoteasy]

Sabalenka Belarus
Nedvedev Russia

There countries are not published beside their names on scoreboard. If they are good enough to be playing surely they can stick the country beside the name.

[Keyser Sauzee]

Is there any substance to the rumours he’s been cheating? I know Armstrong got away with it for a long time but I just can’t see how Djokovic would be able to with all the scrutiny at high level sport now.

[DaveF]

Is there any substance to the rumours he’s been cheating? I know Armstrong got away with it for a long time but I just can’t see how Djokovic would be able to with all the scrutiny at high level sport now.

Agree with you, he can't possibly be taking anything without being caught for this long. Was anyone saying the same when Federer was almost unbeatable?

Djokovic is a phenomenal athlete and a supreme tennis player. If he is a cheat then the whole of tennis must be complicit in keeping it quiet.

[JimBHibees]

Cycling is a non-sport for me because despite the Armstrong scandal (clue was in is autobiography - “It’s Not about the Bike” - helllo!!! Tainted beyond belief and yet still folks are cheating post his shenanigans.

On to tennis. It could go the same way if Novak is found to have gained unfair advantage. bleep the cheats

I think tennis is notoriously one of the least tested sports . An admittedly old article
https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1396822-roger-federers-comments-on-drug-testing-in-tennis-are-spot-on.amp.html

[Mon Dieu4]

Agree with you, he can't possibly be taking anything without being caught for this long. Was anyone saying the same when Federer was almost unbeatable?

Djokovic is a phenomenal athlete and a supreme tennis player. If he is a cheat then the whole of tennis must be complicit in keeping it quiet.

Sure I'm not just making it up and that I've read reports that with some PEDs it's not the case that you need to keep taking them, there is a certain amount of muscle memory that means even if you've taken them years ago you can still gain an advantage

[McD]

Is there any substance to the rumours he’s been cheating? I know Armstrong got away with it for a long time but I just can’t see how Djokovic would be able to with all the scrutiny at high level sport now.


With doping, the authorities are always years behind the perpetrators in detecting and catching them. There’s been athletes and sports people stripped of titles years after the event, Armstrong is just one

[s.a.m]

I think tennis is notoriously one of the least tested sports . An admittedly old article
https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1396822-roger-federers-comments-on-drug-testing-in-tennis-are-spot-on.amp.html

I seem to remember Andy Murray speaking out about insufficient drug-testing too, a few years back. As I remember, there were some big names objecting to what he said.

[He's here!]

I seem to remember Andy Murray speaking out about insufficient drug-testing too, a few years back. As I remember, there were some big names objecting to what he said.

Andy Murray admits doping suspicions over some opponents - 'They don't seem to be getting tired' - ESPN (https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/15221425/andy-murray-admits-doping-suspicions-some-opponents-seem-getting-tired)

Not hard to guess which opponent Murray was hinting at.

Problem with Djokovic is that he appears to be more like some kind of tennis cyborg or android, a relentless automaton rather than a drugs cheat. You feel that only by resetting his circuitry to factory settings would we be rid of him.

[DaveF]

https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/15221425/andy-murray-admits-doping-suspicions-some-opponents-seem-getting-tired

Not hard to guess which opponent Murray was hinting at.

Problem with Djokovic is that he appears to be more like some kind of tennis cyborg or android, a relentless automaton rather than a drugs cheat. You feel that only by resetting his circuitry to factory settings would we be rid of him.

Yet Federer was all good when he swept everything before him and cruised past Sampras 14 GS wins - a record that people thought would stand for decades.

[Sylar]

Yet Federer was all good when he swept everything before him and cruised past Sampras 14 GS wins - a record that people thought would stand for decades.

I said in an earlier post that I didn't want to believe he is any kind of cheat - I'm not a fan, but I certainly admire the consistency of quality this guy produces.

That being said, unlike Federer, you can't ignore the situations Novak (and his team) put themselves into that allow accusations to be levelled at them - the Australian Open last year, inhaling his 'magic potion' at Wimbledon the year prior, his drop-off in form when testing took a major uptick after Sharapova was caught (and he was one of her most vocal defenders).

It might all be nothing, or speculation etc, but he (and his team) leave themselves open to these suggestions with how they conduct themselves at times.

[heretoday]

https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/15221425/andy-murray-admits-doping-suspicions-some-opponents-seem-getting-tired

Not hard to guess which opponent Murray was hinting at.

Problem with Djokovic is that he appears to be more like some kind of tennis cyborg or android, a relentless automaton rather than a drugs cheat. You feel that only by resetting his circuitry to factory settings would we be rid of him.

Why do you want to be rid of him? He's brilliant.

[McD]

I said in an earlier post that I didn't want to believe he is any kind of cheat - I'm not a fan, but I certainly admire the consistency of quality this guy produces.

That being said, unlike Federer, you can't ignore the situations Novak (and his team) put themselves into that allow accusations to be levelled at them - the Australian Open last year, inhaling his 'magic potion' at Wimbledon the year prior, his drop-off in form when testing took a major uptick after Sharapova was caught (and he was one of her most vocal defenders).

It might all be nothing, or speculation etc, but he (and his team) leave themselves open to these suggestions with how they conduct themselves at times.


All solid points, would also add the overnight change from a guy who struggled to finish 5 sets and had no stamina to suddenly hardly breaking sweat, all attributed to simply switching to a gluten free diet

[He's here!]

Why do you want to be rid of him? He's brilliant.

I prefer to be entertained when it comes to watching tennis. Until recently we've had that in spades with the swashbuckling Nadal, the peerless style of Federer and the endlessly inventive Andy Murray. Djokovic on the other hand has single-handedly sucked the life out of the men's game. A relentless automaton, bordering on inhuman, he simply grinds opponents down (while throwing in regular 'injuries' or lengthy and disruptive toilet breaks should things be going against him). It's boring to watch.

Add to that his crackpot and dangerous theories about purifying contaminated water by the power of thought, his arrogant hosting of a super-spreader event at the height of Covid and his swanning around Europe while knowingly Covid positive and there really isn't much to admire.

[He's here!]

All solid points, would also add the overnight change from a guy who struggled to finish 5 sets and had no stamina to suddenly hardly breaking sweat, all attributed to simply switching to a gluten free diet

He struggled to finish three sets, let alone five. Nowadays he'd still be going strong after 10 sets. There's something unnatural about it.

[Hiber-nation]

Simona Halep been banned for 4 years for doping....https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/66789732

[DaveF]

I prefer to be entertained when it comes to watching tennis. Until recently we've had that in spades with the swashbuckling Nadal, the peerless style of Federer and the endlessly inventive Andy Murray. Djokovic on the other hand has single-handedly sucked the life out of the men's game. A relentless automaton, bordering on inhuman, he simply grinds opponents down (while throwing in regular 'injuries' or lengthy and disruptive toilet breaks should things be going against him). It's boring to watch.

Add to that his crackpot and dangerous theories about purifying contaminated water by the power of thought, his arrogant hosting of a super-spreader event at the height of Covid and his swanning around Europe while knowingly Covid positive and there really isn't much to admire.

Sucked the life out of it?

I presume you didn't see the 2nd set of the final which was probably the best set of tennis I've ever seen.

It's a tough call but I'd rather watch Djokovic bounce the ball 15 times than Nadal wiping sweat of every part of his body after picking his shorts out of his arse crack.

Murray often chucks in the towel when it's not his day - not something you ever see Djokovic do. He's not a robot, he just has more desire than anyone else.

[DaveF]

He struggled to finish three sets, let alone five. Nowadays he'd still be going strong after 10 sets. There's something unnatural about it.

Anyone asking that question of Nadal when he played the 2012 final against Djokovic for almost 6hrs?

Or Mahut and Isner who played for 11hrs over 2 days?

[He's here!]

Anyone asking that question of Nadal when he played the 2012 final against Djokovic for almost 6hrs?

Or Mahut and Isner who played for 11hrs over 2 days?

As McD has mentioned in an earlier post, it's not so much the fact he can seemingly play endlessly without any hint of fatigue that's remarkable, it's the transformation from one slam title between 2005 and 2011 and a reputation for toiling to complete matches to almost unbeatable automaton winning 3 in one season that raised questions. It's not the steady path towards success trodden by other champions.

[WeeRussell]

Sucked the life out of it?

I presume you didn't see the 2nd set of the final which was probably the best set of tennis I've ever seen.

It's a tough call but I'd rather watch Djokovic bounce the ball 15 times than Nadal wiping sweat of every part of his body after picking his shorts out of his arse crack.

Murray often chucks in the towel when it's not his day - not something you ever see Djokovic do. He's not a robot, he just has more desire than anyone else.

👍 agreed (although I’m a Nadal man)

Andy Murray was/is a more defensive grinder than Djokovic.

He’s not my favourite tennis player but he’s an absolute animal and unbelievable player/athlete.

Usual bitter nonsensical comments coming out after yet another slam. The boy is unreal.

[s.a.m]

Anyone asking that question of Nadal when he played the 2012 final against Djokovic for almost 6hrs?

Or Mahut and Isner who played for 11hrs over 2 days?

If I can just get my 'No axe to grind here' disclaimer out of the way....:greengrin:
Nadal very much has been dogged by suspicion and allegations for years about doping, and he successfully sued someone for pointing the finger at him.
He was also linked - wrongly, he says - with the Spanish doctor who was heavily involved in cycling doping scandals. The Spanish government destroyed the doctor's clinical samples that were seized as part of their investigation, with lots of athletes left with questions against their names, because his clients weren't named or their results known. As I remember, Nadal objected to the samples being disposed of because of the cloud of suspicion it left.

[He's here!]

👍 agreed (although I’m a Nadal man)

Andy Murray was/is a more defensive grinder than Djokovic.

He’s not my favourite tennis player but he’s an absolute animal and unbelievable player/athlete.

Usual bitter nonsensical comments coming out after yet another slam. The boy is unreal.

Nothing bitter about it. I've just never bought into his seemingly overnight transformation and his relentless machine-like style leaves me completely cold. Sure, it works for him but it's a stifling, attritional business that I can't take to and prefer not to watch. As a bloke he's also an utter dork.

I can't agree re Murray. At his peak he was one of the most inventive players out there and he was great entertainment (unlike Djokovic). The shot he played to win the Davis Cup was one of many to savour:

The Shot that Won Great Britain the Davis Cup | ITF - Bing video (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=andy+murray+winner+davis+cup+final&&view=detail&mid=12B8D5CC66C91E43D34712B8D5CC66C91E43D347&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dandy%2Bmurray%2Bwinner %2Bdavis%2Bcup%2Bfinal%26FORM%3DHDRSC6)

It's a damn shame what happened to Murray as I think he merited (and would have probably won) a couple more Slams on his CV. However, in hindsight, that 2016 season when he won Wimbledon, Olympic gold, reached two other Slam finals and finished the year as world No 1 (winning something like his final 25 matches in a row to do so) probably took too much out of him. There was so much responsibility and expectation on his shoulders that I fear he simply drove himself too hard.

[McD]

Nothing bitter about it. I've just never bought into his seemingly overnight transformation and his relentless machine-like style leaves me completely cold. Sure, it works for him but it's a stifling, attritional business that I can't take to and prefer not to watch. As a bloke he's also an utter dork.

I can't agree re Murray. At his peak he was one of the most inventive players out there and he was great entertainment (unlike Djokovic). The shot he played to win the Davis Cup was one of many to savour:

The Shot that Won Great Britain the Davis Cup | ITF - Bing video (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=andy+murray+winner+davis+cup+final&&view=detail&mid=12B8D5CC66C91E43D34712B8D5CC66C91E43D347&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dandy%2Bmurray%2Bwinner %2Bdavis%2Bcup%2Bfinal%26FORM%3DHDRSC6)

It's a damn shame what happened to Murray as I think he merited (and would have probably won) a couple more Slams on his CV. However, in hindsight, that 2016 season when he won Wimbledon, Olympic gold, reached two other Slam finals and finished the year as world No 1 (winning something like his final 25 matches in a row to do so) probably took too much out of him. There was so much responsibility and expectation on his shoulders that I fear he simply drove himself too hard.



Murray is incredibly talented, and incredibly unlucky to have been at his peak at the same time as Federer, Nadal and even Djokovic. Had he been 10 years younger or older he’d probably have reached double figures in slams

[DaveF]

Murray is incredibly talented, and incredibly unlucky to have been at his peak at the same time as Federer, Nadal and even Djokovic. Had he been 10 years younger or older he’d probably have reached double figures in slams

On Murray, I see that he won his Davis cup singles tie today and then revealed after the match that he played, despite it also being the day of his Gran's funeral.

[He's here!]

On Murray, I see that he won his Davis cup singles tie today and then revealed after the match that he played, despite it also being the day of his Gran's funeral.

I saw his interview afterwards. Very emotional. His dad told him not to pull out of the match as his gran would have wanted him to play - but that he should make sure he won for her.